Maple Leafs have one glaring issue according to former NHLer Chris Pronger

Chris Pronger, longtime NHL defenseman known for his bone-crushing hits and ferocious slapshot, delivered a verbal body check to the Maple Leafs as he talked about the issues they currently face. It's no secret Toronto has put all their eggs in one basket, allotting over half of their salary cap for their Core 4. Although the cap was supposed to rise, circumstances out of their power prevented that and the team hasn't been able to recover.

The major contracts haven't led to much success, minus a first round victory in 2022-2023 and it often falls on the shoulders of the Core Four to carry the load night in and night out. Toronto has a problem with depth, and proper cap management and this is what Pronger believes is a huge glaring issue. Speaking on the Cam & Strick Podcast, Pronger gave his insights:

It's hard to argue with Pronger; Toronto often seems to find bit players to try and fills roles instead of properly spacing out their money. It leads to a whole mishmash of unproven rookies and over the hill veterans instead of focusing on homegrown talent, or finding the proper pieces in order to build a winning team. Hockey is played 4 lines deep, and only being able to have half of that covered while others lag behind is not a recipe for success.

Toronto fans have wanted a shake up this offseason, and while the moves GM Brad Treliving made definitely improved the defense and goaltending; the offensive depth is very scarce. Looking to options like Max Pacioretty or rookies Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten may work out in the short-term, but if injuries or struggles occur; the Leafs are really handicapped in their bottom six.

Nick Robertson is still in the mix, and the Maple Leafs could re-sign him although he's still hesitant to join the club; and they would need to find a way to open up more than the $1.275M in cap space they have to do it.

It's looking like if the Maple Leafs don't change something soon; it's going to be yet another year of the same old, same old.

Source: Cam & Strick Podcast
Cam & Strick Podcast: Chris Pronger

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